The Moroto- Nadunget Road Junction has turned into a death
trap after developing huge potholes along the Soroti- Katakwi- Moroto highway.
The road measuring
over 150 kilometers was commissioned in November 2020 after its construction
that cost 646 Billion Shillngs.
The Soroti- Katakwi- Moroto highway is
the main route to Karamoja through Napak and Moroto, which has boosted business
and tourism in the region. However, a- 10 kilometer- stretch from Nadunget
Junction to Moroto town leaves drivers frustrated.
The road has become a black spot which have
claimed lives and left several people with injuries. Some of the
victims include the former Nadunget Primary School Head teacher, Stephen Okello
Olara who crashed head- on- collision with another rider around Nadunget Bridge.
The other incidents include an army vehicle registration number DO3DF117 where
two soldiers died and six survived with critical injuries.
The potholed stretch has also killed boda- boda cyclists and
their passengers. Those who survived the accident have remained with permanent
scars on their bodies. The survivors include Anthony Lemukol, the Senior
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer in Napak district and the male district
councilor representing Nadunget Sub County.
Denis Daka, a driver plying Soroti- Moroto road says the
spot has caused him several mechanical conditions including tyre bursts around
Nadunget Bridge. He notes that the condition of the road keeps deteriorating eacj day without any remedy from the concerned offices.
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The Mt. Moroto Regional Police Spokesman, Michael Longole says
that although they have cautioned the drivers and deployed traffic police
officers at the black spot, there are a lot of risks involved especially with
vehicles moving at night. He notes that sometimes, pedestrians are knocked down
by drivers trying to maneuver through the potholes.
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Jackson Angella, an elder in Moroto says that the road has
been destroyed by the heavy trucks ferrying construction materials from Nadunget
area. The trucks are constructing Moroto- Lokitanyale road, an extension
of Soroti- Katakwi- Moroto road.
The Uganda National Roads’ Authority (UNRA) in Moroto office
declined to comment, referring our reporter to the spokesman, Allan Ssempebwa
who requested for some time to respond.
During the commissioning of Moroto construction materials
laboratory in May 2024, the State Minister for Works, Musa Ecweru gave UNRA an
ultimatum of a month to fix the road but nothing has since taken shape.
Ecweru’s
ultimatum followed pleas from area leaders who told him that the road section
had become a death trap in Moroto.
